Liam Aiken

Biography

With a remarkably thoughtful, mature gaze and a curious air of adolescent mischief, Liam Aiken established himself as a incredibly expressive actor in such films as Henry Fool (1997) and Stepmom (1998). And though he did not win the coveted role of Harry Potter in the feature films based upon author J.K. Rowlings' popular series of children's books, this might have worked to the advantage of the talented young actor, and helped keep him from being typecast into obscurity by the onset of puberty. Born Liam Padraic Aiken in New York City in January 1990, the boy proved a natural talent who delighted in entertaining family members with magic tricks. The delight of a captive audience found Aiken seeking stage work, and it wasn't long before the decidedly outgoing youngster made his television debut in a Ford Winstar commercial. Fans of Hal Hartley may recognize Aiken from his feature debut in Henry Fool (1997), and subsequent feature roles began to give audiences a glimpse into the true talent of the precocious young actor. The turn of the millennium found him edging closer to leading-boy status, and, following performances in Sweet November (2001) and The Road to Perdition (2002), Aiken took the lead for the adventure comedy Good Boy! in 2003. He played one of the doomed Baudelaire children in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and in 2010 appeared in Michael Winterbottom's lurid adaptation of Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me. In 2012 Austin Chick cast him in the thriller Girls Against Boys. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi